


Tomorrow and Eternity

by aquileaofthelonelymountain



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Soft Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), The Night At Crowley's Flat (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26107735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquileaofthelonelymountain/pseuds/aquileaofthelonelymountain
Summary: “You know”, Aziraphale began unexpectedly, “I sometimes wondered how the humans deal with it. Knowing that their time on earth is limited. Fearing that they’ve missed something, something important, and that there’s no chance left to still do it.”“This won’t be our last night on earth.” Crowley moved his thumb in a tentative circle across the back of Aziraphale’s hand. “Promise.”“I know.” Aziraphale’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Still, I can’t help thinking about … things I would regret if it was. Missed chances. Things left unsaid.”
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 203





	Tomorrow and Eternity

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution to "the night at Crowley's flat" - I hope you enjoy it ;)

Their hands had intertwined as they had sat down in the bus, and at some point, they had started to lean onto another, upper arms and shoulders brushing, heads gently bumping together. Both of them had been fatigued, but, even with his eyes closed and on the brink of sleep, Crowley had found solace in Aziraphale’s presence. The angel hadn’t smelt – like he had dreaded – of fire and ash, but of old books and cologne.

Despite everything, Aziraphale’s presence was still familiar.

Then they were back in London, the bus miraculously stopped right in front of Crowley’s flat, and their hands were still clasped together. They held onto each other when Crowley led the way inside.

He only remembered Ligur – or what remained of him – when, next to him, Aziraphale inhaled sharply.

“No need to be alarmed, angel”, he muttered wearily. He was so tired. Aziraphale, however, had pushed past him, and Crowley already missed the feeling of the angel’s hand in his. To his amazement, Aziraphale was tense.

“Stay back”, he said in a hard, almost commanding voice Crowley hadn’t heard from him in centuries.

“’s alright”, he appeased once more. “Ligur won’t harm anyone. Not in this state.”

Aziraphale glanced back at him, and Crowley’s heart grew heavy in his chest as he wondered, _Have I put that worried look onto his face?_

“There could be drops of Holy Water left”, the angel said, and his voice was now impossibly soft, “and I don’t want you to get hurt. Stay back and let me take care of this. Please.”

“O-okay.” Crowley coughed and tried to fight down the wave of affection that threatened to overwhelm him. Now wasn’t the right time. “I … I’ll wait in the living room for you. Fetch us some wine.”

In the end, he didn’t get any bottle of wine. Instead he kept pacing up and down the living room, always close to the door and listening to the little noises that told him that Aziraphale had set to work. The shuffling of feet, from time to time a mumbled word, the tell-tale energy of a miracle being performed – all the little noises that told him that Aziraphale was here, with him, and not gone, taken from him by fire.

_Soon enough you will be playing with fire._

Footsteps were drawing near, and Aziraphale entered the room. He was pale. Instantly, he reached for Crowley’s hand; his grip bordered on hurtful.

“Crowley, a terrible thought just occurred to me.” He sounded breathless. “I fear that Heaven will come for you.”

The demon was less surprised than he probably ought to be. He had had similar thoughts, after all.

“You and me …”, Aziraphale continued, giving his hand another squeeze. “Heaven and Hell think that it’s our fault that Armageddon was avoided. I don’t think that Heaven would go as far as to directly punish one of their own for disobedience, but … It would fit their plans perfectly to hunt down the demon who’s responsible too. Heavenly justice, you know, fighting the forces of evil, and … and …” Crowley thought that the angel was about to trail off, but then he added quietly, miserably: “And they know I couldn’t bear to watch you get hurt.”

His tiny, lost voice would have been enough to tear at Crowley’s heartstrings, and their meaning … He would have to ask what had happened to make Aziraphale admit so openly that Heaven might purposefully hurt him. But not now.

“Come here.” He guided the angel to the couch. Their hands stayed intertwined as they sat down.

“Holy Water, Crowley”, Aziraphale said, his voice pressed and trembling.

“I know, angel. I was thinking the same about Hellfire.” He placed his other hand on top of Aziraphale’s, clinging to him. He forced himself not to think about what Hell might do to his angel and loosened his grip. Right now, everything was alright. Aziraphale was here.

When he looked up from their hands, he was surprised to see the steel in the angel’s eyes.

“I won’t let Heaven take you away from me”, he declared, still with a light tremor, but unyielding as well.

“I don’t plan on letting come any harm to you either”, Crowley replied, thus making Aziraphale smile a little.

“Just look at us, ready to protect the other from the own head office.” His gaze grew soft again. “If only we could take the other’s place – ” Aziraphale’s eyes widened as he spoke, and Crowley was sure that the movement was mirrored on his own face.

_Choose your faces wisely._

“Can it be that simple?” the angel asked into the silence. “We fool them by changing our forms?”

“In the morning, I’ll change my form to look like you, and you’ll look like me. Then Heaven will think they’re abducting a demon, and Hell will think they’re abducting an angel – ”

“ – but that demon won’t be hurt by Holy Water, and that angel won’t be hurt by Hellfire”, Aziraphale concluded breathlessly. “It sounds so easy. Then again, most of Agnes’ prophecies tend to be rather direct, simple even. That is, once you unravelled their meaning.”

“But then what?” Crowley asked. “I don’t think that Heaven will just let a demon that’s immune to Holy Water walk away. And Hell? They won’t let a traitor go, and they’re imaginative. Right now they’re rather fond of throwing prisoners into the darkest pit. For an eternity.” His grip tightened again. “Should you get in trouble … I might not come to rescue you.”

Crowley blinked. Was he imagining things, or was Aziraphale gazing fondly at him instead of looking scared at the prospect of destruction or imprisonment? Maybe he was more fatigued than he had thought.

“Then I”, Aziraphale said, “will come to your rescue.”

Crowley didn’t want this. He didn’t want Aziraphale to descend into Hell, to see the dark hallways, the crammed rooms, and the gloomy chaos that were a part of his world. And for what? Putting himself into danger for Crowley’s sake? “No, angel, you can’t – ”

“Crowley”, he interrupted him at once, voice soft as silk, “don’t try to talk this out of me. You would do just the same for me. I know because you _did_. You’re always there to help me, now let me do the same for you. And if Heaven tries to stop me, I’ll just need a little longer. Just wait for me.”

“Always.” Crowley lowered his eyes. Sometimes, like now, Aziraphale seemed to radiate in a way that had nothing to do with his angelic being, and then it was almost painful to look at him.

He coughed. “I guess that’s it. We know what to do tomorrow.” He glanced up again, and they smiled awkwardly at each other – that thing on Crowley’s face felt like some sort of grimace. He had imagined that they would need far longer to find a way for dealing with Heaven and Hell. And although his chest felt less constricted – they might have found a solution, but it wasn’t over yet – they were now faced with a completely different problem. They were faced with waiting.

“You know”, Aziraphale began unexpectedly, “I sometimes wondered how the humans deal with it. Knowing that their time on earth is limited. Fearing that they’ve missed something, something important, and that there’s no chance left to still do it.”

“This won’t be our last night on earth.” Crowley moved his thumb in a tentative circle across the back of Aziraphale’s hand. “Promise.”

“I know.” Aziraphale’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Still, I can’t help thinking about … things I would regret if it was. Missed chances. Things left unsaid.” He turned his head, slowly, as if frightened that a rushed movement might scare the demon. The look on his face definitely made Crowley’s heart jump in his chest – not with fear, though, but with far more dangerous emotions. Like yearning. And hope.

“I don’t want anything left unsaid between us, Crowley.”

The irony of the whole situation, a somewhat hysterical part of Crowley observed, was that he couldn’t find the courage to say anything right now, no matter how much he wanted, no matter how often he had dreamed of finally doing so.

“My dear”, Aziraphale continued in that voice, so gentle and meaningful, the one that always felt like Crowley was stroked beneath the chin. The angel had turned on the couch to face him fully, but the demon wasn’t prepared for the hand that cupped his cheek and mirrored the circles he had been drawing on Aziraphale’s skin.

“’s not unsssaid, angel”, he croaked. “We’ve said it countless times. Both of usss. Jussst not with the actual words.”

Instead, it had been said through oysters and boxes of chocolate. Through _you were lucky I was in the area_ and _they wouldn’t just be angry, they’d destroy you._ Through _my treat_ and _I won’t have you risking your life._ Through a bag of books and a tartan thermos flask. Through _anywhere you want to go_ and _you go too fast for me._

“I’m glad that you know how I feel for you.” Aziraphale’s hand on his cheek kept Crowley’s gaze steady. Not that he wanted to look away. A tiny bit, maybe. The open adoration on the angel’s face was almost too much to look at. “I want to tell you nonetheless. To show you.”

His hand moved towards Crowley’s glasses, but stopped before he touched the frame. “May I look into your eyes?”

Helpless against the lump in his throat, the demon only nodded, and Aziraphale cautiously removed his glasses. “There you are.” His smile was blinding.

The soft hand wandered from Crowley’s cheek to the back of his neck, nudging him a little closer. Although they sat in the moonlit darkness, Aziraphale’s eyes were bright and clear and deep.

Then the angel spoke – in the softest of whispers, yet with confidence. “I love you, Crowley.”

He craned his neck, and Crowley leaned forward, and they kissed.

The first sensation Crowley processed were Aziraphale’s soft curls that grazed his forehead. After another moment, he noticed the gentle press of fingers on the back of his neck. Finally, there were Aziraphale’s lips. Brushing against his. Aziraphale. Kissing him.

Oh.

_Oh._

Lastly, Crowley’s brain put all the information together, and it was some kind of shock. He had told no lies: He had known that Aziraphale loved him back, had known it for sure since they had sat in the Bentley and he had reached out to take a tartan thermos flask with shaking fingers. But knowing it while telling himself that one day, perhaps, they could have this, and finally having this, _finally being kissed by Aziraphale_ …

And being kissed so sweetly at that! Aziraphale cradled his head, and his lips were on Crowley’s in the softest of brushes. The caress was almost tentative, but the way the angel tilted his head to bring them just a little closer together spoke of confidence. He was soft, and warm, and Crowley wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and kiss him back. He _could_ , the small part of his brain that was still functioning finally supplied, so he did. He drew Aziraphale still closer, softly answering his kiss, until they parted and he found that the need to catch one’s breath was actually a very nice feeling. Just like having a blushing, smiling angel in his arms.

“I love you too.” Crowley’s voice was rough with emotion. He coughed. “I’m actually a bit miffed that you kissed me before I could say it.”

Aziraphale’s smile broadened. “My apologies, my dearest.” He leaned forward and kissed him once more.

Crowley laughed against his lips. “Apologies accepted. But now will you let _me_ kiss _you_?”

“Of course, my love.” Aziraphale drew back, just enough so that Crowley would have to make a visible effort to kiss him again. The angel puckered his lips and tried to play coy, but his eyes were too bright for that, his smile was too broad. He was radiant.

Something in Crowley’s chest clenched at the sight. He had almost lost his angel in the fire, and tomorrow he might lose him again. Suddenly he understood the dread of missed chances.

“Crowley, dearest?” Aziraphale had noticed the change in his expression. Of course he had. The angel could read him like one of his treasured first editions, glasses or not.

Placing one hand on the angel’s lower back, one on his shoulder blades, Crowley pulled him close to his chest. This time it was really him who kissed Aziraphale, and this time something was different. The caress was pure bliss, warm and tender, but there was some kind of urgency to it as well. It went … deeper, somehow, as if both of them were once again trying to say what they felt without using the actual words. Crowley was definitely trying to do so, and he could tell that Aziraphale was doing just the same; the angel had one hand in his hair, angling him close in just the right way, and the other was a feather-light touch on his cheek.

They parted again, both of them relishing the need of air. Aziraphale’s lips were red, just like his cheeks, and he smiled, and Crowley was so unbelievably in love.

“Once this is over, I’ll marry you”, he blurted out.

The laugh on Aziraphale’s face didn’t quite vanish, but it definitely got toned down as it mingled with surprise. Crowley realised what he had just said.

Oh.

_Oh._

“That isss – if you want to. Marry. Me. Or marry at all. In general. Very human thing to do. Marrying.” Just why couldn’t he stop talking?

He did the second Aziraphale answered his question.

“I do.”

“What?” Six thousand years, and he was as easily flustered as a maiden before her first dance. And as eloquent as the poor chap who sweated beneath her stern father’s eyes.

Aziraphale’s smile only deepened. “I do want to marry you.”

“You do?” A smile crept over Crowley’s own face, broadening as the meaning of the angel’s words sank in.

“Of course I do. I’m very fond of the humans and their ways, and”, mischief sparkled in his eyes, “I’m very, _very_ fond of you.”

The last shreds of Crowley’s panic ebbed away. “You’ll have to marry me every few decades, though. Can’t be running around with a marriage certificate that says we married hundred and five years ago, after all. You’ll be stuck with me, angel.” He was a demon; just why did his heart feel like it was about to burst with love? “Eternity, you know.”

It should have been impossible, but Aziraphale’s smile grow even more beatific, and Crowley’s heart was a bit closer to bursting with love. “Eternity sounds very promising all of a sudden.”

Just like the angel had felt the urge to speak the words aloud, so did Crowley now.

“Aziraphale”, he said tenderly, “Principality of the Eastern gate, part-time rare book dealer”, here Aziraphale gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, “love of my life”, here Aziraphale’s expression grew impossibly soft, “will you take me as yours for eternity?”

“I will. Of course I will, my wonderful, wily serpent. And you, original tempter? Will you take me as yours for eternity?”

“I will”. He drew the angel closer, but stopped before their lips met. “Original tempter?” he huffed. “Who was the one looking all tempting and gorgeous back then, on the wall of Eden?”

“I know who did.”

Crowley shared Aziraphale’s smile. “Me too, angel. Me too.”

They closed the tiny gap between them, and as the angel and the demon sank back on the couch in each other’s arms, their worries about the next day vanished. There was a tomorrow for them now, and a day after tomorrow. They had eternity.


End file.
